


Love in the time of Coronavirus

by orphan_account



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: 2020., Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coronavirus, Coughing, Disease, Doctor/Patient, Fainting, Fever, Freddie is sick, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Happy Ending, Honeymoon, Hospital bed, Hospitals, Husbands, Illness, Isolation, Japan, Jim Hutton - Freeform, Love, M/M, Medical Examination, Medicine, Pandemics, Queen (Band) - Freeform, Sickness, Smoking, Virus, garden lodge, jimercury, respiratory issues, sick freddie mercury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:10:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23130310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After returning from honeymoon in Japan, Freddie started to develop some strange symptoms.
Relationships: Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Love in the time of Coronavirus

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: READ THE TAGS! 
> 
> If you are faint-hearted, if the mention of any disease triggers you or offends you, please don't read this fic. Also, please keep in mind that this is just fiction. I described the Coronavirus symptoms listening to the stories from people from my environment who got through it. I don't know if I managed to describe it accurately or not, I am still not that great in writing things in English. 
> 
> On the other hand, if you liked the story, don't forget to leave a kind comment and kudos 💛

_March the 3rd, 2020 news:_

_ The possibly fatal disease is spreading gradually all over the country. Doctors still don't know what's causing this mysterious virus, or how to treat it nor prevent it. We kindly ask all the citizens to be careful and to go to the doctor as soon as they notice any suspicious symptoms. The disease is spreading over from Asian countries. We will keep you updated about the further events related to this issue._

Freddie turned off the TV not giving too much attention to what he just heard on the news. He couldn't bother with that. He had happier things to think about. In his life, there were some major changes for the better: He left his abusive boyfriend, he toured all over the world doing what he is born to do, he met the love of his life, got married, went to honeymoon, bought a new house for his husband and him, adopted few more cats, released a new album with his band. Now he was sitting back and enjoying the fruit of his hard work. He couldn't remember when was the last time he felt so happy. It seems like all the stars aligned for him this year. He and Jim just came back from their honeymoon a couple of days ago. They were in Japan whose culture never failed to amaze Freddie over and over again. It was his favorite place in the whole world, besides his Garden Lodge home. In his garden, he even had two cherry trees in which shadows he liked to spend his spring afternoons, and also a pond with koi fish. He already framed some of the photos they took while spending their time in Japan. He put them in his and Jim's bedroom on the nightstand, as well as in the living room on the top of the shiny black piano.

That afternoon Jim brought Freddie bouquet and Freddie waited for Jim with a hot kettle of Earl's Grey tea that they would sip together, sometimes talking about their day and sometimes just giggling and kissing like teenagers.

»Darling, have you heard the news? About that new disease? They said its spreading from Asian countries. The good thing is we came back from Japan on time. Even tho I wanted to stay just a little bit longer, I had such a great time there,« Freddie says smiling at Jim looking at him with heart eyes.

»Yes, I have heard something about it. I think they are just raising an unnecessary panic amongst people. There would shortly be no word about it, I'm telling you. It is the most important that we had a blast in Japan, we both charged our batteries. Now we are ready to roll!«, Jim replies kissing Freddie on the cheek, »I am coming back to work tomorrow. I will miss spending mornings with you.«

Freddie blushed taking another sip of his tea and lighting a cigarette in one quick move. He just started smoking recently. It made him less nervous when his hands were busy during interviews. Everyone around him was also smoking, including his husband, so he decided to give it a try. At first, he didn't like the taste of tobacco in his mouth after a cig, but he quickly got used to it. It even made his singing voice harsher, and he liked that. However, it started to take its toll. Freddie would wake up every morning coughing like a donkey. It was a dry cough, and it would always leave him red-faced.

»Honey, those cigs are a pain in the ass, huh? You are not even smoking for that long to start coughing that bad. Maybe you should change a brand. Or the best option would be to quit smoking. It can damage your voice, you know? I have never heard someone coughing like that. Are you sure it is because of cigars?«, Jim asks Freddie worryingly, giving him a glass of water.

»Goodness gracious! I almost dropped my soul with that one!«, Freddie replies taking a glass of water Jim was giving him, »I am so tired. This cough always wakes me up in an ungodly hour, and then I can't get back to sleep. I will have to slow down with smoking. I will leave it for a week and see how it goes.«

Jim nodded looking at Freddie like he expected him to start coughing violently any second.

»I have to go to work now. Will you be ok? If something happens, please call me. I'll see to come back home earlier today. Take care, alright?«, Jim says kissing Freddie quickly on the lips. Freddie just nodded and laid back in bed in the hope that he will be able to get another minute of sleep.

Another week has passed by, and Freddie was still coughing. After another three days, he started to feel shivers down his spine in the mornings. Yes, maybe it was March, maybe spring was just around the corner, but mornings were still cold. So, he preferred to spend his morning wrapped up in two blankets, trying to get warm. Phoebe would usually bring him a hot cup of tea first thing in the morning to warm him from the inside. Jim was still working in the salon very hard every day. They would see each other only in the evenings and shortly in the mornings when Jim was heading off to work. Freddie loved to be treated like a princess when he is feeling bad or sick, and Jim would always run around him like a mother hen. That kind of attention and affection soothed him greatly. But now, with Jim on the work, he had Joe and Phoebe, but it wasn't the same. He likes to snuggle to Jim as close as possible. To squeeze him tightly in a hug, while Jim would stroke his long, curly hair and places small kisses on his forehead. Freddie felt like if he would be able to this right now, he would get better in no time. But he had to accept the reality and wait patiently until evening.

»This cold March weather is killing me! I can't wait for warmer days. Honestly, I feel like I am going to get sick, like a high temperature or something. Yesterday, at the rehearsal in the studio, I could barely sing a note. My throat is also killing me. It must be some virus or something,« Freddie complained to Kash over the phone.

»Then, you should slow down, honey. Stay home for two or three days, and you will be like new. Tell Jim that I told him to take good care of you. Don't make me come over there«, Kash tried to cheer him up, although all he wanted to do now is to go to bed and sleep. He wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone. He felt, and looked, exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. His stomach started to hurt from so much coughing.

* 

_March the 13th, 2020 news:_

_ Doctors have named this new respiratory illness the Coronavirus. People may experience a severe cough, runny nose, high temperature and fever, sore throat as well as in some cases pneumonia or difficulty breathing. To protect yourself from getting the virus, wash your hands regularly, wear a surgical mask, and avoid direct contact (like kissing and handshaking) with other people, also avoid big crowds of people. _

Freddie shivered severely through the night. He felt very cold like he was sleeping under the open sky. He turned to Jim who was sleeping and snuggled against him, feeling his warm body. Through the window, the rays of the sun were already entering the dark bedroom. Freddie's eyes started to close again, his eye vision was blurry, and he felt Jim moving underneath him. Soon, he will get up to go to work. He could feel how his cheeks are burning, but he felt so damn cold. Someone was calling his name. Was it Jim? Why he can't open his mouth to say something in response? He felt someone's big hand on his forehead and cheeks. The same voice was now calling Phoebe's name. But to Freddie, it all sounded like the voice is coming from the great distance. He tried so hard to open his eyes, or to move his hand, or at least to say something, but the burning inside of him completely numbed him. He felt two strong arms lifting him from the bed before he couldn't see and hear anything anymore.

Jim entered the hospital, in a great rush, almost running, carrying Freddie in his arms. Phoebe came with him, as support. They found a doctor who told the nurses to prepare him for the examination. In the meantime, he asked Jim a couple of questions about what happened. Jim explained how everything started with a bad case of coughing. Then how Freddie shivered for the whole day and night, and how everything eventually culminated with high fever and loss of consciousness.

»I will ask you to go outside the hospital, don't stay here any longer. We will call you back if necessary. By all the symptoms you described, it seems to me that young Freddie has Coronavirus. It wouldn't be bad if you check-in for examination too. You might also be carrying a virus if you were in close contact with him. He is our priority for now because you don't look like you're sick and he is clearly in danger,« the doctor explained to Jim while putting the gloves and the mask on.

Jim's mouth was hanging in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had just heard from the doctor. He was utterly shocked. How this could be? How didn't he recognize the signs? Will Freddie be ok? How long he will be in the hospital? Questions just kept coming in his head. Phoebe interrupted him in his thoughts by gripping his upper arm, taking him outside the hospital. Jim couldn't feel his legs. He was walking like a zombie. The fresh air hit him in the face, and it seemed to help him get himself together. If there wasn't Phoebe to hold him the whole time, he would be down on the floor a long time ago.

*

Freddie woke up in a room with multiple beds in it. Walls were covered in bright white paint, or at least that's how he saw it, it was too bright for his vision, his eyes hurt. All the beds were empty, except his, of course. There were unknown faces around his bed. One of them was male. Although he wasn't sure at that moment since they were all wearing white overalls, green gloves, green masks over their mouths, and they had white hoods. In his left hand, there was an IV infusion attached. On the monitor, besides him, he could read his pulse and oxygen saturation in his blood. One of those people put the thermometer under his armpit, and the other one took the blood sample. He could still feel how his cheeks are burning. Panic started to rise in his chest. Who are those people? Where is he anyway? Why is no one telling him anything? Where is Jim? The pulse on the monitor started to beep. They took the thermometer out.

»Doctor, his temperature is 40 degrees Celsius«, a nurse with a soft voice said showing thermometer to the doctor.

»Give him paracetamol, and some cold covers on his head for the start«, the doctor said to the nurse. He took the stethoscope from his neck and placed the bell of it on Freddie's chest listening to his lungs and checking his breathing. »His lungs sound little raspy. Put him on an inhaler.« The nurse nodded, listening to the doctor's instructions.

»We will keep him here for a couple of days to make sure he is stable. Keep an eye on him, and if his condition gets worse call me immediately. Understand?«, the doctor continued with demanding voice, »Call that friend of his, the one who took him here. I want to check him, too, and to tell him about our patient's condition and what to expect.«

Jim and Phoebe once more rushed in the hospital, the minute they heard the doctor called them in. Jim's palms were sweating from nervousness, and his legs once again turned into jelly. The uncertainty was killing him. He made dozens of possible scenarios in his head, thinking in what direction all this Coronavirus nightmare could lead. The smell of the hospital made him sick. The strong smell of disinfectants filled his nose. He and Phoebe entered the doctor's office. The doctor was still wearing his full gear from before. He was sitting in the chair just next to the open window. His office was small and was painted in yellow. Jim thought for himself how Freddie would like to see this office, and it made him smile.

»Doctor! When can I go and see Freddie? How is he?«, Jim shot in one breath.

»Alright, here is the thing. We put him in the isolation room. He would be there for a couple of days. We also took his blood sample and tested it for Coronavirus. It turned out positive. You know, there is no medical treatment for Coronavirus. We will do everything in our power to help him recover. He has a high temperature, his lungs sound raspy, he looks disoriented at times. We put him on IV, gave him Paracetamol. There is no specific kind of drug for this disease. The nurse will put him on the inhaler twice a day to help him with a cough. Normalizing his body temperature will be great progress. He is young, he will get through it. You can't go and visit him right now while he is in isolation. As I said earlier, I would like to examine you as well. Just to be sure,« the doctor explained to them calmly.

Jim listened to him carefully. He and Phoebe followed the doctor to an examination room.

*

Freddie cracked his eyes open. He didn't know what time or what day it is, nor for how long he has been here. He only knew he spent most of his time here sleeping. He hasn't seen another human being in what seemed to him forever, well except some episodes with the doctor that he could remember. It was a different room this time, not the one he was remembering with bright white walls. This room was warm, there were soft blue wallpapers on the walls. Next to his bed was a leather brown armchair, and someone's jacket was thrown over it. His lungs still felt heavy, but a cough was gone. He still had an IV attached to his hand. He was looking around himself, trying to figure out what he was doing in the hospital in the first place. He spotted the familiar silhouette of a man through the glass door of the room. He wanted to call his name, but his throat was so dry it hurt. Not long after, the door opened and his Jim stepped into the room. Freddie wanted to scream with excitement. Since he couldn't find his voice, he just gave Jim the widest smile he could offer at that moment. Jim rushed next to Freddie's bed taking Freddie's hands in his and kissing his knuckles and palms over and over again.

He tucked a strand of hair from Freddie's face behind his ear and caressed his cheek.

»Your cheeks aren't flaming red this time«, he said while smiling, still holding one Freddie's hand in his, »Look at you, rockstar. How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?«

Freddie took a sip of water Jim bought when he was outside with Phoebe this morning, and then said pouting »Jim! I haven't seen you in so long! You could at least hug me.«

»I can't hug you yet, sweetheart, we still have to be careful. Two more days and I promise I will hug you, all over your body,« Jim said with a wink teasing Freddie. Then he continued »I spoke with the doctor this morning. You were doing amazing with your recovery. We were all dead worried, honey: me, Joe, Phoebe, Kash, Brian, and everyone. Our cats are missing you too. Phoebe and I went through the whole bunch of tests and examinations. Everything went great with that. I don't understand how you were the only one catching a virus. You are here for a whole month! Can you believe it? You were in the isolation ward for two weeks. Do you remember that? You are going home next week, sweety. I was coming here every day after your isolation period. I have to tell everyone you woke up, and doing better, and that you will go home soon. Everyone is so anxious to see you. I will tell Joe to cook something nice for you. I don't know what they were feeding you here«.

»Wow, Jim, I can tell you haven't spoken to me in a long time. I have never heard you speak so fast, and so much. Breath, darling!«, Freddie said now full-on laughing placing a hand over his stomach.

»Oh, trust me, honey, I have so much more to say. You will not be able to get rid of me once we go home. You will beg me to shut up«, Jim replied placing another kiss on Freddie's knuckles, »Just come home. If we managed to beat this, we would go through anything,« he said jokingly.

»With you, I would go through Coronavirus and back all over again,« Freddie said tilting his head sweetly.

»Please don't.« Jim replied laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have Queen-related prompts of any kind, shoot them my way on Tumblr @ninamercury 💛


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